Page 125 of Sacrifice
She sniffles and wipes her face with my shirt. I just watch her and try to keep my mouth shut before I lose my cool.
She looks at the ground and I see her struggle with the words she wants to say. She’s biting her lip and I reach down and remove it from between her teeth.
“Jules . . .”
“We were sitting there and they just walked in.”
“They just showed up? Who arethey?And who let them in?”
“Hunter and a guy named Jason Drake,” she says, her voice soft. “I didn’t know who they were, Crew. I’ve been so busy with Ever that I never bothered to even look up who Hunter was or what he looked like.”
Tears start to fill her eyes and I pull her to me again. I look at the sky and watch the clouds float by. I try to find some calming effect in them, try to tone myself down a couple of notches. “Tell me what happened.”
“They said they were with the NAFL and that they had a check. They gave it to me and. . . . and then they left.”
I lean back and look at her face. I know she’s lying. “That’s not all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he didn’t just give you a check and leave. That’s not how he operates, Jules.”
“Well,” she says, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “I’m fine. Ever’s fine.”
“You’re fine,” I say, tilting her chin so she’s looking at me. “But are you okay? Two different things.”
“Yeah,” she breathes, resting her cheek against my shirt. “We are okay.”
I hold her tight. I struggle with wanting to just keep holding her, to ask her more questions, and to get inside to see Everleigh and make sure she’s okay, too.
“I’m gonna need to know what happened in there. What did he say to you? What did he do?”
“Well,” she says and takes a long pause that disturbs me, “he was an asshole.”
“Because . . .” I wait for a response but don’t get one. “Jules, I’m not a patient man. I’m trying really hard to stay calm and do things the right way, but you can’t pull this not talking bullshit.”
“I’m sorry. He just . . . he basically insinuated that I was some kind of whore.”
“He did what?” I roar, pulling her back so I can see into her face. “What the fuck did he say?”
My body is on alert, exactly how I feel when I’m ready to fight. Every sense is heightened, a viciousness barreling through my veins full speed ahead.
“He just said something about you and Gage passing me around or something.”
I move her backwards and start to open the door to my truck. “Crew, stop.” She grabs my arm and tugs on it. “Just stop!”
I turn to look at her. Her tear-stricken face is pale, her eyes wide, the panic in them brimming. Even as beautiful as she is, even though I want to carry her inside and gather her and Ever in my arms, I can’t. Not now. Not yet.
“You think he’s gonna say that shit to you, that he’s gonna walk into Ever’s fucking hospital room, and I’m gonna let that slide? Think again, Jules.”
“That’s exactly what he wants you to do! He wants you to lose your head and find him. Cause a scene. Maybe get the fight stopped because you’re a hothead. That’ll clear his record, win him fans, and you lose . . .in every sense of the word.”
I drop my hand from the door.
In every sense of the word.
“Fuck!” I shout, garnering the attention of the neighbor lady out getting her mail. I know she’s right and I hate it. He’s put me in a position where I can’t do anything because if I do, I lose the fight, the money . . . everything that matters to me.
I watch her silently implore me to stay calm, to fight the fight that needs fighting . . . and that isn’t a brawl with Hunter for being a cocksucker today. It’s the fight for Ever. For her.For our family.
